The Last Emperox is the thrilling conclusion to the award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling Interdependency series, an epic space opera adventure from Hugo Award-winning author John Scalzi.
The collapse of The Flow, the interstellar pathway between the planets of the Interdependency, has accelerated. Entire star systems–and billions of people–are becoming cut off from the rest of human civilization. This collapse was foretold through scientific prediction . . . and yet, even as the evidence is obvious and insurmountable, many still try to rationalize, delay and profit from, these final days of one of the greatest empires humanity has ever known.
Emperox Grayland II has finally wrested control of her empire from those who oppose her and who deny the reality of this collapse. But “control” is a slippery thing, and even as Grayland strives to save as many of her people form impoverished isolation, the forces opposing her rule will make a final, desperate push to topple her from her throne and power, by any means necessary. Grayland and her thinning list of allies must use every tool at their disposal to save themselves, and all of humanity. And yet it may not be enough.
Will Grayland become the savior of her civilization . . . or the last emperox to wear the crown?
The Interdependency Series
1. The Collapsing Empire
2. The Consuming Fire
3. The Last Emperox
John Scalzi is hands down my favorite author, but if I were to make any suggestion to him, it’s to never apologize for something that no one knows happened, because then they’ll know it happened and think about that one unforgivable thing as the reason that ‘everything’ went wrong. I’m being severely hyperbolic here, but only just barely. “The Last Emperox” is the third and final book in a series with the end of literally everything that the universe knows about “The Flow” which is how everyone in this universe gets around the limits of light speed.
It’s a good book, but dang if that final act of the book is wrapped up awfully and unexpectedly quick with some story choices that I wouldn’t personally have made, but were interesting nonetheless. I fully expect that the quick ending had everything to do with the apology that Scalzi made in the afterward / acknowledgements with his procrastination. Additionally, I fully expect that the final part of this book could be made into an entire series of books and has a faint whiff of sequel hints that I’ve grown to dislike so much.
Honestly, if there is a sequel, I’ll preorder the signed edition again because even a less than perfect Scalzi novel is dependably enjoyable.
